Mia Laube: A proud Marion girls’ basketball player

MARION - When the clock ran out on our basketball season, a full swing of emotions gripped me.

Shock, sadness and confusion.

It's never fun to end an amazing run in tears, but only one team gets to end its season on a win. It wasn't us.

Now, as my teammates and I walk the halls, teachers and friends congratulate us on what a great season we had. Two red banners will have newly stitched numbers on them, solidifying our spot in the school's history. Someday, those numbers will be motivation to another group of young girls, just as previous teams left goals for our generation to meet.

I can still hear our coaches in the locker room, full of intensity, barking out 'this is our year! Why not us?” And no matter how it ended, this really was our year. We have a shared Wamac Conference title, a blue banner, a state semifinalist trophy and, most importantly, memories to last a lifetime from a team that was incredibly close.

That puts a smile on my face more than the last game hurts.

From the beginning, we knew this was going to be a special season for Marion girls' basketball. It started a little slow. We had a record of 7-4, which was not what we were hoping for. We played a lot of great teams. After our game against Linn-Mar, we were issued a challenge in our frustrated locker room - win every game until you get the chance to play for the conference championship.

We used the motivation and went on a 13-game winning streak that we rode all the way until the state semifinals. State was just the icing on top of a great run, and it was a lot of fun. We got to see the benefits of every summer workout, lifting session and practice.

One thing frequently discussed before, during and after games was how young our team was. It was uttered by the media more than in our own locker room. We never put any thought or stock into that. Combined, we had played so much AAU basketball and done countless workouts, so age was never a good enough excuse to us. It never even crossed our minds.

Now that we know what we can achieve, there are no limits for us. Next season, we'll get another shot at the Western Dubuques, Pellas and big schools we had close losses to. The last game was definitely frustrating because we knew we were capable of extending our season to the end. We hit a few shots and never gave up, but we won't be satisfied.

The best thing that has come from this year is seeing all of the young Marion girls gain interest in playing. I've had grandmothers tell me our team made their granddaughter want to get into basketball, little girls I don't even know yell my name and tell me good job when I'm in public, and others give me high-fives and shy smiles. It makes me want to get better and show them that anything is possible. I see myself in them, looking up to my role models such as Morgan Paige, Sam Rinehart, Maggie Murphy (now Johnston) and Brittany Fish.

No matter the result, every ending is a new start. There are many things to improve and lots to build on. I know our coaches will bring the same energy next November and because of them I believe we have some of the most intense and focused practices in Iowa.

For now, though, I'll take a week to rest, regroup and soak it all in. We got to state. I've never been more proud to be a Marion girls' basketball player.